Shaddy

“ And there it stood, with its ears lowered and eyes blazing, looking from one to another of the occupants of the boat, and from them to Shaddy, who leaped ashore knife in hand, while the brute’s tail writhed and twisted as if it were a serpent.
“Hadn’t one of you better shoot?” said Shaddy calmly. “He’s, too much for me with only a knife.”
Just then the Indian who had been knocked down began to crawl cautiously toward the trees.
The movement was enough for the jaguar. ”

“ This was now one glorious suffusion of amber and gold, for the sun was below the horizon, and night close at hand, though, after the gloom of the primeval forest, it seemed to Rob and his companions as if they had just stepped out into the beginning of a glorious day.
“Don’t see no fire,” growled Shaddy. “We’re all horribly down about losing poor Mr Jovanni. But we must have rest and food, or we can’t work. Here, my lads, where are you?” he shouted in the dialect the men best understood. ”

“ The next minute he was waving his soft hat from the dinghy, while Brazier’s boat was gliding up stream, and the two boys stood up and gave him a hearty cheer.
“Now, youngsters,” said Shaddy, as he cleared the little mast lying under the thwarts, “we shall catch the wind as soon as we’re round the next bend; so we may as well let Natur’ do the work when she will.” ”

“ The puma was silent, and Shaddy slowly approached his hand, thrust in his knife, and made one bold cut which swept through the deer’s flank; but another growl arose, and there was a bound made by the puma—which, however, turned and crept slowly back to cover, where it stood watching them, with the fire again reflected in its eyes.
“He don’t mean mischief, Mr Rob, sir,” said Shaddy. “I’ll have another try. I may get through it this time.”
“No, no, don’t try; it’s dangerous.”
“But you don’t fancy that lizard thing, my lad; and I want you strong to-morrow. ”

“ If he’s alive still you couldn’t reach him that way.”
“If he’s alive!” groaned Rob.
“If he’s alive,” said Shaddy, repeating his words. “Steady a moment! He may be up in one of the boughs, for he’s as active as a monkey in rigging and trees.” ”

“ Just then Shaddy leaped ashore with a rope, after carefully seeing to the fastening of the other end.
“May as well give you gents a hint,” he said: “never to trust nobody about your painter. It’s just as well to use two, for if so be as the boat does break loose, away she goes down-stream, and you’re done, for there’s no getting away from here. You can’t tramp far through the forest.” ”

“ The rowing’s done. All we’ve got to do is to float along the stream.”
“Ah, well, I’ll finish this time, and they shall do it another.”
“Better come down now, sir,” whispered Shaddy. “You see they’re a dull, stupid lot, who look up to white people as their natural masters; and, without being a brute to ’em, the more you stands off and treats ’em as if they were servants the more they look up to you. If you don’t, and they see you doing work that they’re paid to do, they’ll look down on you, think you’re afraid of ’em, and grow saucy.” ”

“ It is so very tame, I should like to keep it, but it does not care for anybody else.”
“Don’t mind me seemingly,” said Shaddy. “Well, the best thing will be for you to jump ashore as soon as we’re close in, and then it strikes me he’ll come after you, and if you kept on petting him he’d follow you anywhere.”
“You think so, Shaddy?”
“Feel sure of it, sir, but it ain’t like a dog. You can’t make a companion of a scratching thing like that.”
“Why not? A dog’s a biting thing,” said Rob shortly.
“Well, yes, sir, but here we are. Better get him ashore. There ain’t room for him aboard here. ”

“ Rob was silent, and Brazier shook his head.
“You see, it’s like this, sir,” continued Shaddy: “people as have never been in these woods can’t understand what it means, when it’s just this: Shut your eyes and go a dozen yards, turn round, and you’re lost. There’s nothing to guide you but your own footsteps, and you can’t see them. You may live for a few days by chewing leaves, and then it’s lie down and die, wishing you were a monkey or a bird. ”

“ This last was to the puma, which suddenly sprang up with an angry snarl, and stood, dimly seen against the stars, with its back arched, tail curved, and teeth bared, uttering fiercely savage sounds at the swimming creature approaching.
“Some kind of cat,” said Shaddy in a low voice. “Can’t be a mate, or it would be more friendly. Hi! look out,” he said sharply, his voice full of the excitement he felt. “It’s a tiger as sure as I’m here. Out with your knives: we mustn’t let him get into the tree. ”

“ Just then Shaddy’s voice was heard in an interval between two peals of thunder shouting to his men in a tone of voice which indicated that something was wrong, and Brazier thrust out his head from the opening at one end of the awning to ask what was the matter.
“Matter, sir? Why, if we don’t get all hands at the pumps the ship’ll sink.”
“Is it so bad as that? We’ll all come at once.”
“Nay, nay. I’ve got a strong enough crew, only we must use buckets instead of balers.” ”

“ And all the while the fiddling, piping, strumming and hooting, with screech, yell and howl, went on in the curious chorus, for they were indeed deep now in one of Nature’s fastnesses, where the teeming life had remained untouched by man.
“Well,” said Brazier at last to the guide, whose figure, seen by the light of the fire, looked as wild as the surroundings, “had we not better get on board? You can hear nothing through that din.”
“Oh yes, I can, sir,” replied Shaddy. “I’ve got so used to it o’ nights that I can pick out any sound I like from the rest. But we may as well turn in. ”

“ Rob suggested it and Shaddy replied angrily:
“Look here, youngster, if ever you want a nickname call yourself Wet Blanket. What a fellow you are for making the worst of everything! Some one lay down to rest here, didn’t he?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“And I’m sure. Now look at the places where the flowers have been snapped off. I know what you’re saying to yourself: ‘wild beast or Indian!’ Now, I ask you, sir, as a young English gent who has been to school and can read and write, do wild beasts and Indians go about picking flowers or collecting anything that isn’t good to eat?” ”

“ Brazier sighed.
“Oh, never mind, sir!” said Shaddy cheerily. “Things might be worse than they are. We’re alive, and can find means to live. We don’t know but what we may get away all right after all. If I might give you my advice—”
“Give it, by all means,” said Brazier.
“Well then, sir, seeing that you came out to collect your flowers and plants, I should say, ‘Go on collecting just as you did before, and wait in hopes of a boat coming along.’”
“But it might be years first.”
“Very well, sir; wait years for it. ”

“ I calls it skill.”
“Why, it was a mere accident.”
“Hark at him!” cried Shaddy, looking round at the trees as if to call their attention to the lad’s words. “Says it was an accident when I told him to aim straight at the thing’s shoulder, and there’s the arrow right through it from one side to the other, and the poor brute dead as dead.”
“But I hardly aimed at it, Shaddy,” protested Rob.
“Of course you didn’t. A good shot just makes up his mind to hit a thing, and he hits it same as you did that lizard. Well, sir, that’s one trouble off my mind; and I can say thankfully we shan’t starve. ”

“ He passed the end of the line to Rob as the captive, whatever it was, now lay quiet, but as soon as the lad began to draw the line ashore there was another heavy tug.
“Run him out, sir, not hand over hand; run and turn your back,” shouted Shaddy, and as fast as he could get over the tangled growth amongst the trees Rob obeyed, with the result that he drew a large golden-scaled fish right out of the river and up the bank a couple of yards, when something parted, and Shaddy uttered a yell as he saw the captive flapping back toward the pool. ”

“ Rob drew a long breath, and Joe shuddered.
“Well,” said Shaddy quietly, “that’s just how you take it, young gentlemen. Seems so horrible because it was a big serpent. If it had been a worm six inches long you wouldn’t have thought anything of it. Look at my four chaps there: they don’t take any notice—don’t seem horrid to them. You’ll get used to it.”
“Impossible!” said Brazier.
“Oh! I don’t know, sir,” continued Shaddy. “You’ve come out where you wanted to, in the wildest wilds, where the beasts have it all their own way, and they do as they always do, go on eating one another up. ”

“ That same afternoon after a quiet discussion of their position, the result of which was to convince Brazier and Rob of the utter hopelessness of any attempt to escape, they joined with Shaddy in the most sensible thing they could do, namely, an attempt to forget their sorrow and misery in hard work.
“If we want to be healthy,” Shadrach had said, “we must first thing get a shelter over our heads where we can sleep at nights, clear of the heavy dews, and which we can have ready next time it comes on to rain.” ”

“ But before they had gone fifty yards the high-and-dry land ended, and Rob, who was, thanks to his activity, first, was about to wade in and continue his way among the submerged roots.
But Shaddy roared at him,—
“No, no, my lad; don’t make matters worse! You mustn’t do that. The things have moved out of the river in here to be away from the rush and to get food. We don’t want you pulled under.”
“But we must go on, Naylor,” cried Brazier in agony.
“It ain’t the way to help him, getting ourselves killed, sir,” retorted Shaddy. “Let’s get more in. Water don’t go far.” ”

“ He stretched out his hand, but the puma drew back suspiciously, and, with the others watching the scene, he remained quiet while Rob redoubled his caresses, and the puma began to utter its low, rumbling, purring sound.
“Only wants time, Mr Brazier, sir,” said Shaddy quietly. “I don’t think the brute’s a bit savage. Only thinks we mean mischief and is ready to fight for himself. I could be friends with him in an hour or two. ”

“ Shaddy uttered a low growl, like some thwarted animal, and said, in an ill-used tone,—
“Why, I could fetch his head off with one good chop, and—”
“Look, look!” cried Joe. “Mind! Take care!”
“Yes,” shouted Rob; “it’s coming round this way.”
Neither could see the reptile; but the swaying herbage and the rustling, crackling sound showed that it was in rapid motion.
“Nay,” growled Shaddy, “he ain’t coming this way—only right-about-facing. It is his nature to; he’s going to make for the water. That’s what those things do: get down to the bottom and lie there, to be out o’ danger. Look, Mr Rob, sir ”

“ Rob noted his companion’s careful management, and that whenever they had to pass round a tree which stood right in their way Shaddy was very exact about starting afresh exactly straight, and after a time in making off again to their left, so as to hit the river near the clearing. But for some time they found nothing to take their attention.
“And that’s the way of it,” said Shaddy in reply to an observation of Rob’s. “You generally find what you are not looking for. Now, if we wanted plenty of fine hardwood timber, here it is, and worth fortunes in London town, and worth nothing here. ”

“ Shaddy’s orders were obeyed, and though there seemed to be no reason for the preparations made, the guide was so confident of the coming of a heavy storm that the waterproof sheet brought for such an emergency was quickly drawn over the canvas roof of their little cabin and made fast; the boat was moored head and stern close up to the bank and beneath a huge, sheltering tree, the balers were laid ready for use in the fore-part and the stern; and when this was all done, and the greatest care taken to keep powder and bedding dry, Brazier turned and looked at Shaddy. ”

“ But Shaddy opposed him.
“I’m only your servant, Mr Brazier, sir,” he said, “and I’ll do what you say; but you told me you wanted to go into quite noo country. Well, it will be easier for me to take you up one of these creeks or rivers, and you’ll be able to hunt and collect; only recollect that it isn’t such very noo country—other folks have been up here and there. What I say is, give the skipper good-bye when we get to Assuncion, and then we’ll sail and row and pole up a couple of hundred miles farther, and then turn off west’ard. ”

“ By this time Shaddy had heard the talking and risen, rather apologetic for sleeping so long, and as soon as he had called up his men and sent them ashore to see to the fire the case was laid before him.
“Nay, Master Rob,” he said, “there’s no one about here to tame lions. It’s a wild one sure enough. Dessay he never saw a man or boy before, and he’s a young one perhaps, and a bit kittenish. Wants to make friends.”
“Friends with a dangerous beast like that, man?” cried Brazier. “Absurd!”
“Oh, they’re not dangerous, sir; that is, not to man. ”

“ Shaddy gave a grunt, and holding the neck tightly, he thrust the point of his knife in between the reptile’s jaws, opened them, and then shifting his fingers to the angle, he held the snake’s head upside down, and with the point of the blade raised from where they lay back on the roof of the mouth, close to the nose, two tiny glass-like teeth, the creature’s fangs, which could be held back or erected at its pleasure.
“Not much doubt about them, sir,” said Shaddy.
“Not the slightest,” replied Brazier, frowning. “We’ve both had narrow escapes, Rob.” ”

“ Rob mechanically picked up his piece, examined the breech, and then waited for Mr Brazier to fire, feeling sure the while that if it depended upon him the creature would go off scathless.
“Now’s your time, sir!” whispered Shaddy. “He is put out, and means mischief. I’d let him have the small shot just beneath the jaws, if I could. Wait a moment, till he’s quiet. Rather too much waving about him yet. Look out, sir! he’s getting ready to make a dart at us, I do believe!” ”